E3 2010: Nintendo wows crowd with 3DS

The official opening of E3 2010 began with Nintendo's press conference, where the makers of the Wii wooed attendees with their new handheld 3DS.

Marred by a string of reports that interest in the company's flagship console has begun to steadily falter over the past few months, the Kyoto-based company desperately needed to revive the faith of both gamers and investors alike.

Opinions coming out of the press conference varied, with some feeling as though Nintendo succeeded in their goal while others a bit more pessimistic.

Regardless, one thing seems pretty clear: The handheld Nintendo 3DS is a winner for the company.

One question many had going into Tuesday's debut was how the 3-D graphics would look considering Nintendo's claim that users would not need special glasses to view them.

Nintendo seems to have nailed this, as graphically the Nintendo 3DS looks amazing.

As with the company's current handheld DS, the new 3DS also features a split screen.

However, in this setup only the upper screen is 3-D capable. The bottom screen is a touchscreen since fingerprints and 3-D "don't get along so well," according to Nintendo head Satoru Iwata.

The side of the unit also features a slider that allows the users to control the depth of the 3-D effect.

Users can also view -- as well as take -- their own 3-D images thanks to two lenses placed on the outside of the device.

The company also showed off "Kid Icarus Uprising" for the 3DS.

Unfortunately Nintendo does not have a playable demo available, but from what was shown this title really shows off some of the unit's incredible graphics.

Nintendo was incredibly light on specifics, as the big questions on when and how much went unanswered.

Nevertheless, attendees were quite pleased with the handheld, with one stating that "the 3DS will rule the handheld market."

The picture is not quite as rosy for the company's flagship console, however.

Most were underwhelmed by the lineup of announced titles, save for "Golden Eye" and the new "Legend of Zelda." They were also disappointed to learn that the release date for Zelda has been pushed back to 2011.

Check back later for my analysis of Sony's two-hour press conference and whether Microsoft was able to gain any traction with its big "Cirque du Soleil" premiere for Kinect.